Receiving and storing materials on your construction project

Once you have established what materials you need for your project, you will need to work out how those materials will be received and stored on your site as part of your construction material logistics plan.

Areas for storage should be chosen during the initial design stages of a project and you should ensure that they are clearly defined at the start of the project. This will prevent the areas from becoming overfilled and ensure that they remain suitable for the materials - for example a dry area for plasterboard. You should also provide good site security - such as perimeter fencing - and security staff to minimise the risk of losing materials to theft or vandalism.

Once you know the type and quantities of the materials you are going to use on your project, and when they will be required during the project, you can devise a receipt and storage process. This will allow you to plan for what plant and equipment you will need for unloading and handling those materials.

In order to ensure you make the most of your materials, you should store similar items together. You should also have a dedicated labour team available to unload and distribute materials to their point of use, as this will help prevent double handling and decrease the costs of hiring specialist staff. Once materials have been delivered to the point of use, the contractors should confirm that they have received the materials, either manually or through an electronic system - such as tagging.

There are some requirements that may restrict or limit the receipt or storage of materials, such as planning conditions. You should ensure that you have all the necessary planning permissions in place during the design stage.